NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
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Saturday, March 19, 2022
Rogue the otter at the High Desert Museum will be missed
By JOE SIESS
The (Bend) Bulletin
BEND — Rogue, a beloved
North American river otter living
at the High Desert Museum, Bend,
was euthanized early this week at
the ripe otter age of 12.
Rogue, one of three otters living
at the museum, was humanely
euthanized Tuesday, March 15,
the museum said in a statement
March 17.
Rouge struggled with osteoar-
thritis, and during the last few weeks
his condition deteriorated rapidly
and attempts to give him relief from
his pain with new medications were
unsuccessful, the museum said. The
museum’s veterinarian and care-
takers decided to euthanize Rogue
based on a prognosis for a poor qual-
ity of life.
Dana Whitelaw, the museum’s
director, said the museum commu-
nity will miss Rogue dearly. She
called him “an ambassador for his
species.”
“We are grateful for the many
years of joy and charisma that he
brought to our visitor experiences,”
Whitelaw told The Bulletin.
Rogue was named after the
Rogue River, and his museum care-
takers said he will be remembered as
the mother hen of the otters, because
of his generosity and nurturing ways
toward the other otters in the habitat.
He enjoyed grooming his fellow
otters, eating rainbow trout and
playing in the snow.
Rogue came to the museum
in 2013, and was brought there
because he was unable to survive
in the wild. After getting used to
High Desert Museum/Contributed Photo
Rogue, a beloved North American river otter at the High Desert Museum in Bend, was euthanized Tuesday,
March 15, 2022, because of deteriorating health.
humans and his new environment
at the museum, Rogue thrived in his
habitat.
Rogue’s personality was diverse,
and while he loved his otter compan-
ions, he was selective about which
humans he trusted, said Jon Nelson,
the museum’s curator of wildlife.
“Working with staff, he was
really picky on who he’d like to
work with,” Nelson said. “He was a
very opinionated otter, I’d say.”
It generally took a long time to
build up Rogue’s trust. In order to
get on Rogue’s good side, one would
have to pay their dues, Nelson said.
“He was very front and center,”
Nelson said of Rogue’s relationship
with his fans, who would gather
around the otter habitat. Rogue
never got nervous around the people
who came to see him, he said.
Rogue also was incredibly gener-
ous, Nelson said. When Pitch, the
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youngest otter was introduced into
the habitat, Rogue taught him how
to properly behave, Nelson said.
“Brook, the other otter, our
middle aged otter, is very, very shy
and a lot of days when we get busy,
he gets scared, and he won’t even
come out of the den, and Rogue is
just so generous,” Nelson said. “We
would throw fish into the exhibit and
instead of eating the fish himself he
(Rogue) would deliver it to Brook
Enterprise, Joseph to be in indie film
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
Cooler with a few
showers
Intervals of clouds
and sunshine
53° 34°
52° 39°
Cloudy
Mostly cloudy and
warmer
Partly sunny and
pleasant
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
56° 45°
67° 41°
69° 44°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
59° 38°
57° 43°
62° 46°
71° 40°
OREGON FORECAST
71° 44°
ALMANAC
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
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TEMP.
Seattle
Olympia
50/41
47/29
57/27
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Kennewick Walla Walla
52/35
Lewiston
51/39
61/38
Astoria
50/39
Pullman
Yakima 55/33
51/35
53/35
Portland
Hermiston
55/40
The Dalles 59/38
Salem
Corvallis
52/34
Yesterday
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La Grande
48/32
PRECIPITATION
John Day
Eugene
Bend
53/36
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Ontario
60/35
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Albany
52/36
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0.82"
0.44"
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62/34
50/22
0.01"
1.08"
0.76"
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3.11"
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through 3 p.m. yest.
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Pendleton 48/27
54/38
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HERMISTON
Enterprise
53/34
56/39
58°
41°
57°
35°
76° (1934) 15° (1965)
PRECIPITATION
Moses
Lake
51/35
Aberdeen
46/29
52/33
Tacoma
Yesterday
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Records
Spokane
Wenatchee
49/38
Today
Boardman
Pendleton
Medford
52/33
Sun.
WSW 8-16
WSW 8-16
WSW 8-16
W 8-16
SUN AND MOON
Klamath Falls
46/18
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2022
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
7:00 a.m.
7:06 p.m.
9:04 p.m.
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in the den so Brook wouldn’t have
to come out of the den.”
“He took care of the other two
otters,” Nelson said.
The museum’s director wants to
remind people in Central Oregon
that baby otters soon will be out in
the wild, and it is not uncommon to
find them alone.
A lone baby otter does not indi-
cate the otter has been abandoned,
but that its mother likely parked it
while she engaged in other activi-
ties, such as hunting, Whitelaw said.
By removing the baby otter from
its environment, the otter’s natural
care and development in the wild is
disrupted, Whitelaw said.
Another way residents in the
region can protect otters in the wild
is to keep their dogs on a leash or
be mindful of unleashed dogs who
might chase and kill otters in the
wild.
In honor of Rogue, it is import-
ant to keep otter conservation in
mind, and remember otters are
highly present and accessible in
river systems throughout Oregon,
Whitelaw said.
“We’re not actively looking for
another river otter at the moment,
yet the museum serves as a refuge
for wildlife that can’t survive in the
wild,” Whitelaw said. “If another
otter needed care and we thought it
would thrive in the habitat with the
other otters, we would consider it.”
The museum cares for more than
130 animals, from otters to fish.
The majority of the animals cannot
survive in the wild, either due to
injuries or because they are accus-
tomed to humans and are unable to
hunt or avoid predators.
EN T ER PR ISE
—
Wallowa County is going
to be a star. At least, several
locations in Enterprise and
Joseph will be in the upcom-
ing independent film “New
Life,” which capitalizes on
the county’s resemblance to
Canada.
“Today we are filming
in downtown Enterprise,”
said Hannah Cumming on
Thursday, March 17, asso-
ciate producer and produc-
tion coordinator for the film.
“We’re shooting on the side-
walk along Main Street, by the
courthouse and near the city
park.”
She said the previous day
the crew shot at a ranch near
Joseph.
“It was beautiful there,”
Cumming said.
She said the film is about
Jess Murdoch, who gets
infected with a virus that is
“causing serious side effects
and she’s being pursued
by an official, Elsa, who is
trying to figure out why the
side effects are not affecting
her the way they’re affecting
everyone else.”
Murdoch is portrayed by
Hayley Erin of Los Angeles,
while Elsa Gray is portrayed
by Sonya Walger of the United
Kingdom.
Enterprise is doubling as a
town in Alberta, Canada, near
the U.S. border.
“We were trying to find a
place in Oregon that looked
like Canada,” Cumming said.
“The Wallowas definitely
look like the Canadian border
area.”
While “New Life” is not
your typical film about the
“undead” — they empha-
sized that “We don’t use the
‘Z’ word,” Erin said, it tries to
get into the genre with a more
realistic approach, Cumming
said.
Occasionally, there is some
of the “undead”-like appear-
ance to characters.
“There was some freaky
makeup in that one,”
Cumming said of the scenes
shot near Joseph.
The only local Cumming
mentioned using during
production was Michael
Ferrell, owner of the Michael’s
on Main Street salon.
“One of the extras wasn’t
here and they were filming a
scene where they were walk-
ing in front of the Humane
Society that they put in
because of the kitties,” Ferrell
said. “So I got to be in the
movie as a walker with a girl
at my side.”
Kevin Brown, another
associate producer, said he’s
still unsure when the film will
be released.
“It’s an independent film
and we don’t have a distrib-
utor yet,” he said. “We make
it as best as we can and then
try to sell it to a company
that’s going to distribute it,
whether that’s a streamer
online or a traditional theatri-
cal (release.)”
Cumming said production
should wrap up by April 2
and it should take six months
to a year after that before the
release date.
“It would be great if we
could get it in theaters,” she
said.
The Portland-based cast
and crew of about 25 spent
the entire week in Enterprise
and Joseph.
“The New Life cast and
crew is really grateful to
have the cooperation of
Enterprise and Joseph and
we’re really happy to be
here,” Cumming said.
NATIONAL EXTREMES
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 93° in Plant City, Fla. Low -9° in Gothic, Colo.
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Eastern Oregon
Car Club celebrates
one-year anniversary
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E AST O REGONIAN
— Founded Oct. 16, 1875 —
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LA GRANDE — An Eastern Oregon club
is aiming to bring together car enthusiasts of
all ages.
The Eastern Oregon Car Club is cele-
brating its one-year anniversary, drawing in
local car owners with a mutual love for cars
of all kinds, with a car show at Riverside Park
Sunday, March 20, from noon to 4 p.m.
“Our whole goal is to have a wide range
to make everyone feel welcome,” said Selena
Giambitti, a co-founder of the Eastern Oregon
Car Club. “Even if maybe you’re not inter-
ested in cars at first, we definitely have a place
for you to be there and hang out.”
Giambitti and Kyle Micovich started the
club after purchasing a C5 Corvette and look-
ing to get like-minded individuals involved.
The club currently has about 20 regular
attendees and a Facebook group with more
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than 400 car enthusiasts.
The group meets weekly, getting together
for coffee and going on cruises around the
area. The club has no restrictions on joining,
with its members owning a variety of automo-
biles from sports cars to repair jobs.
In hosting gatherings centered around a
passion for cars, the group’s organizers noted
that the age range of those involved shows that
anyone can share an interest.
“One of the coolest things is seeing kids
who are just starting to drive being able to
relate to someone that’s maybe 70 or 80,”
Giambitti said.
The club’s car show at Riverside Park is
open to the public. Cars on display will be
judged in categories such as best exhaust, best
sound system and best beater with a heater.
“It’s something for the community to do,
bringing like-minded people together to enjoy
mutual interests,” Giambitti said. “You don’t
have to have a cool car to come. We just all
enjoy getting together.”
— EO Media Group
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